Carlisle United and their fellow lower-league clubs will be shown at least 20 times on Sky this coming season.

Great, in one respect. Not in others, such as the Blues and their peers joining the higher clubs whose fans have long faced disjointed and at times inconvenient kick-off times when the great god of TV demands.

Also, we know how our clubs at these levels are still regarded by Sky when we get down to it. As ones to have their heads patted and then reminded very much who’s boss.

On Thursday afternoon we had the scintillating excitement of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy draw, in which Premier League Under-21 teams were funnelled into groups already containing League One and Two clubs.

As Lee Johnson and Paul Heckingbottom ferreted in the bowls for the red-hot balls, host Dharmesh Sheth reflected on one of the early groups, which saw Bradford City, Rotherham United and Mansfield Town graced by the divine presence of Newcastle United’s Under-21s.

“Exciting times for those clubs,” said Sheth of Bradford, Rotherham and Mansfield: another little attempted normalising of the idea, despite no evidence, that those down the chain feel very lucky indeed to share in a little reflected glamour from the small number of clubs that are actually important today, through getting to play against a bunch of young players the majority of whom will never kick a first-team Premier League ball.

Newcastle Under-21s’ previous game in the Trophy, at Crewe Alexandra last season, was watched by 551 fans. Presumably they were all highly excited too.